Drugmakers put cash into apps, education websites

Drugmakers led by Merck & Co. and Novartis AG boosted investments in mobile phone applications and educational websites by 78% to get patients to take their drugs, eat right and exercise, an Ernst & Young report found. Pharmaceutical companies initiated 97 projects last year focused on using information technologies to improve patient health, according to the report by the consulting firm, which relied on analyst reports and press releases to reach its tally. That compares with 124 projects started in the four previous years combined. About 41% of the projects were smart-phone applications, an increase from 11% since 2006.